Product Review: MAC 217 Blending Brush

Name: 217 Blending BrushBrand: MACPrice: €24,00

From MAC’s website:
For shading or blending of colour or creamy products. This brush has fine, densely packed fibers that are arranged in an oval shape. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature wood handles and nickel-plated brass ferrules.

What I liked:
– bristles are soft, dense and don’t shed
– can be used with creamy and powder products
– makes blending eyeshadows a breeze and can be used to apply them on the crease and browbone too
– works well to apply concealer too

What I didn’t like:
– white bristles get dirty easily and are hard to clean
– the price

I used to be a big fan of MAC but in the past couple of years I’ve lost interest in the brand. They’re releasing so many collections that’s become impossible to keep up, their products are getting smaller, the eyeshadows are less pigmented, limited edition products aren’t so limited edition at all as they keep being repromoted regularly, yet the prices keep increasing. In other words, I feel like they are sacrificing quality for quantity and that’s not cool. But there’s a product MAC really knows how to make and whose quality has stayed the same: brushes.

One of their most popular brushes is the 217 Blending Brush. This brush has become a legend in the makeup world and for a good reason: it is awesome. If you don’t have it, you should go get it now. You may think you don’t need it, but if you wear eyeshadows, you do. I put off buying it for the longest time because of its hefty price tag but once I’ve got it, I couldn’t believe I could have lived without it for so long. This is one purchase you will never regret.

So, what’s so special about it?

Its versatility. You can use it for pretty much everything, and it works well with both creamy and powder products. The brush makes blending eyeshadows a breeze. Even the harshest colours are easily softened into a fading gradient. It also works well at applying a soft wash of colour on the lid or a veil of highlighter to the browbone to illuminate the eyes. You can even use it to apply concealer to the under eye area! When used this way, it distributes the product well and gives skin an airbrushed finish.

Its secret is in its shape. The domed brush head is just the perfect size, not too small but not too big either and provides great control and precision. The goat bristles are dense, but very soft and just a little bit fluffy. They feel like silk on the skin and don’t shed at all. Unfortunately, they are also white so they get dirty easily and even with regular washing, which doesn’t ruin the brush at all, they never really go back to their original colour. But I love this brush so much that I don’t mind that it’s a pain to clean. In fact, I’m thinking of purchasing another so that I’ll have one for powder products and another for creamy ones!

Summary
MAC 217 Blending Brush has soft, but dense bristles that make applying and blending eyeshadows a breeze. Very versatile, it works well with both creamy and powder products and can also be used to apply concealer. In addition, the bristles don’t shed, but are hard to clean.

Rating: 5/5

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